Universiade torch relay hits the road

BEIJING - The torch relay for the 26th World University Games kicked off at Peking University on Wednesday, marking the 100-day countdown to the opening of the competition that is also known as the Universiade.

Vice-Premier Li Keqiang lit the torch from a cauldron at a ceremony held in front of the university's Centennial Memorial Hall.

"I declare the start of the torch relay for the 26th Summer Universiade," Li said after handing the torch to the first relay runner, Xing Yan'an, a Peking University postgraduate who was a former member of China's national athletic team and top-level hurdler.